Chapter 20

We’ve just returned from our mission, and being away from my children, even for just a week, was an experience I never want to repeat. As I walked through the door, relief washed over me at the sight of my beautiful children, both in good health. Ife had taken great care of them, and I heard that Mother had also been helping out. However, I couldn’t ignore the disapproving looks from my mother’s sisters. It was clear they weren’t pleased with the special treatment Sebastian was receiving. The atmosphere felt tense, and I sensed that a final decision about his future was looming.

My training to become the next Mother had been rigorous, but I felt like a different person now. I had been taught never to depend on a man; we women are meant to be strong and to look out for ourselves and each other. The success of our society—thriving under the weight of patriarchy for over a millennium—proves that we can achieve so much. Men are only useful to us as breeders, necessary for our survival,